Every time she developed a counter to his previous technique, he'd reveal a new one. Every time she thought she'd figured out his pattern, he'd demonstrate that the pattern itself was misdirection.
He was teaching her without seeming to teach—the best kind of instruction.
"How do you DO that?!" Celestia had demanded after one particularly frustrating exchange where Runar had somehow parried her five-strike combination with a single economical movement.
"Do what?" Runar had asked innocently.
"Be exactly better enough to challenge me but not so much better that I can't learn! It's like you're..." She'd struggled for words. "Like you're adjusting your skill specifically to match my growth!"
"Maybe I'm just lucky," Runar had offered.
Celestia had thrown her spear at him. He'd caught it effortlessly and handed it back with a smile.
Her cultivation advanced too.
Stage 18 became Stage 20. Then Stage 25. By the end of Week 3, she'd reached Stage 50—three times beyond the "impossible" Stage 10 limit.
Her parents had stopped asking questions. They just accepted that their daughter was breaking reality's rules on a daily basis.
Runar continued his secret assistance—Divine-grade pills mixed into her food, subtle optimizations to her technique, guidance that appeared as casual suggestions but contained master-level insights.
She's exceeded my expectations, Runar thought one morning as he watched Celestia execute a spear form that seamlessly blended seven different Intent aspects. Stage 50, three Level 7 Intents, seven original techniques. She's not just talented—she's actually a genius. One of the real ones.
If I can guide her to Supreme-level before she's twenty...
The thought pleased him immensely.
Runar's Internal Development - Weeks 2-4
While externally Runar spent three weeks training with Celestia, internally he spent years in the Comprehension Space. He comprehended laws and other auxiliary skills.
The Stellar Foundation Unity Method's public success had inspired him to study more auxiliary techniques—methods that enhanced core cultivation rather than replacing it.
One technique in particular caught his attention: Elemental Body Tempering.
The original method was straightforward: expose the body to extreme elements (fire, ice, lightning, etc.) to temper it through stress and recovery. Crude but effective.
Runar saw the potential immediately.
Why use external elements when I've comprehended the Laws themselves?
He redesigned the technique entirely.
Instead of external tempering, he used his Law comprehension to temper from within. Fire Law refined his muscles. Ice Law strengthened his bones. Lightning Law enhanced his nervous system. Each Law he'd comprehended became a tool for physical optimization.
He started practicing in Week 2.
The results were extraordinary. His body—already at Supreme-grade physique level—became even more refined. Not necessarily stronger in raw power, but denser, more efficient, more perfect.
His muscles became like woven diamond fiber. His bones achieved density that would make divine metals jealous. His tendons gained elasticity that defied physics. His meridians, acupoints, organs, blood vessels—every part of his body was tempered by Law-level energy until it approached the theoretical maximum of what mortal flesh could achieve.
By Week 3, his physical body alone—without qi enhancement—could probably survive in the void of space, withstand planet-surface temperatures, and shrug off attacks that would vaporize normal cultivators.
But his most significant achievement came in Week 3: Intent and Law Fusion Mastery.
He'd been working on combining multiple Intents and Laws into single techniques. The theory was simple—if one Intent made a technique stronger, why not use ten? Twenty? All of them?
The practice was anything but simple.
Combining even two Intents required perfect synchronization. Three was exponentially harder. Ten approached impossibility.
Runar spent subjective months in the Comprehension Space working on the fusion process. Testing different combinations. Understanding how Intent and Law energies interacted. Finding the optimal balance.
Eventually, he succeeded.
He created what he called the Universal Slash—a katana technique that fused all his Intents and Laws into a single strike. But it was still a not a complete fusion and it was a work in progress
Testing it in the Infinite Qi Realm had been... educational.
The moment he'd activated the full fusion—all 71 Intents at Level 10, all 19 Laws at varying percentages—his qi reserves had drained at terrifying speed. The technique consumed energy like a black hole, pulling from his vast reserves so quickly he'd had to deactivate it within seconds.
But those few seconds...
The slash itself had been magnificent. Not one color but all colors—the entire spectrum of existence flowing through his blade like compressed starlight. When it released, the cut hadn't just severed space.
It had erased it.
A perfect line extending for over 2 light-seconds through the Infinite Qi Realm's dimension. Not cut. Not broken. Removed. Space itself simply ceased to exist along that line, creating a void that slowly healed as reality reasserted itself.
And that was in the Infinite Qi Realm, where space was thousands of times more stable than normal reality.
If I used this in the real world...
Runar didn't want to speculate. The Universal Slash would be a finishing move only—the kind of technique you used when everything else had failed and you needed to end a fight immediately regardless of cost.
He'd need to create lesser versions. Testing showed that using 10 Intents and 3 Laws was sustainable for about a minute of continuous use. That would be his standard fusion combat style.
By the end of Week 4, Runar's internal capabilities had grown to absurd levels:
Intents Mastered to Level 10: 71 (added 31 more through study)
Laws Comprehended: 19 total, ranging from 10-40%
Space Law: 40% (highest)
Sword Law: 35%
Time Law: 20%
Lightning Law: 30%
Fire Law: 28% And 14 others at various levels
Techniques: All system rewards at Perfection or Limit Break, plus hundreds of auxiliary techniques mastered
Elemental Body Tempering: Perfected, body approaching mortal maximum
Universal Slash: Created, tested, categorized as "apocalyptic finishing move"
Combat Power: Estimated ability to fight mid-Red Giant realm cultivators
And yet externally, he appeared to be a seven-year-old boy who enjoyed training with his friend.
Final Week - Academy Approaches
Seven days before the academy entrance examination, both families gathered at the Cross residence for dinner.
It had become tradition over the past weeks—celebrating the children's progress, sharing cultivation insights, and generally enjoying each other's company.
Caspian had joined them this time, his special operations duties finally allowing him a few days at home.
"I hear you've been teaching my daughter how to break reality," Caspian said to Runar over dessert, his tone serious but his eyes amused.
Runar looked up from his spirit fruit tart, carefully affecting innocent confusion. "I'm just training with her. She's the one doing the breaking."
"Stage 55 now," Caspian continued. "Three Intents at Level 7. Seven original techniques. At five years old."
"She's really talented," Runar offered.
"She is," Caspian agreed. "But talent alone doesn't create geniuses. Guidance does. Proper teaching. Someone who knows how to push without breaking, challenge without overwhelming." He studied Runar with the intense focus of a combat veteran evaluating a potential threat. "Thank you for helping her grow stronger."
"I like training with her," Runar said honestly. "She never gives up. Even when she's frustrated, she keeps trying. That's admirable."
Celestia, overhearing this from across the table, beamed. "That's because I'm going to surpass you someday! Just you wait!"
"I'm waiting," Runar said with a smile.
"One week," Lirien announced, drawing everyone's attention. "One week until both of you take the academy entrance examination. Are you ready?"
"SO ready!" Celestia bounced in her seat. "I've been practicing my forms every night! And Runar's been teaching me how to hold back so I don't accidentally show too much power!"
"Good," Seraphina said firmly. "Remember—at the exam, you're both merely talented children. Not transcendent geniuses. Celestia, you show Stage 10 ability maximum. Runar, you show Stage 15-20 ability. Nothing more."
"Yes, mama," Celestia agreed.
"Understood," Runar confirmed.
Jake and Caspian exchanged glances across the table—two fathers who'd suddenly found themselves raising children far beyond their own capabilities, trying to figure out how to protect them from their own talent.
"They'll be fine," Lirien said softly, noticing the look. "They're smart. They know the risks."
"I know," Jake replied. "I just wish..."
"That the world was safer for geniuses?" Caspian finished. "We all do. But it's not. So we do our best to prepare them."
"And hope it's enough," Seraphina added.
They ate in comfortable silence for a moment, the weight of upcoming challenges hanging over them but not crushing—just present, acknowledged, accepted.
"One week," Runar repeated quietly, more to himself than anyone else.
One week until the academy.
One week until he'd finally face challenges that might push him past his current limits.
One week until everything changed.
Celestia kicked his foot under the table—their signal for "stop overthinking and pay attention."
Runar kicked back—their signal for "I'm paying attention, you're just impatient."
She stuck her tongue out at him.
He rolled his eyes.
Their parents watched this exchange and couldn't help but smile.
Whatever else happened, at least the children had each other.
And sometimes, that was enough.